John Harper's Insight
By Dick Purcell
Can the mind breach time? Harper was sure
he had caught a news item that would change his
life. Ironically he caught only a part of it....
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Imagination Stories of Science and Fantasy
October 1956
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
They thought he was insane. And with good reason. Here was a man who'd spent his life in a machine shop coming down one morning to say in all apparent sincerity, "I've decided to be a concert pianist."
Jan Grabowski, on the turret lathe grinned and said, "Sure, John. They'll bring in a grand piano and you can practice between cuts."
"They laughed when I sat down to the piano," someone bellowed and there was general laughter and the thing was forgotten.
But later, when he told the boss he was quitting, they looked at each other in amazement. He'd evidently gone mad and that was no laughing matter because they liked John.
Sam Paine, harassed plant manager still found time to be human. When he discovered John was serious, he sat down and gave him half an hour, figuring he could find the quirk and straighten the man out. As they went to his office, he swiftly classified his employee: John Harper—33 years old—introverted—intelligent over and above his job. Harper seemed to be without ambition, though and Sam wondered about this but had never had time to talk with him much.